In our life as personal self, universal self is not something to yearn for, it is the direction towards which we should aim. This is the meaning of "vow." The first of the four bodhisattva vows is "Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to save them all." This means to settle as universal life wherever that life naturally settles. The second vow is "Cravings are exhaustible, I vow to extinguish them all." This means refraining from being dragged around by one's thoughts. But as long as we are human beings, we're going to have a mind that fabricates illusions, and so we have to continuously study the boddhadharma to clarify the reality of our self. This is the meaning of the third vow, "Dharma teachings are limitless, I vow to learn them all." The fourth vow is "The Buddha Way is endless, I vow to complete it." With this, we vow to settle as the universal self.
Chapter 8 - The Wayseeker: Section - Seven Points of Practice, page 156, Opening the Hand of Thought by Zosho Uchiyama
Buddhism is essentially a teaching about liberation - from suffering, ignorance, selfishness and continued rebirth. ... Buddhism, Knowledge and Liberation assesses the common Buddhist idea that knowledge of the three characteristics of existence (impermanence, not-self and suffering) is the key to liberation.
Buddhism, Knowledge and Liberation: A Philosophical Study By David Burton
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